Johnny Depp Quotes on Vanessa Paradis Breakup

Johnny Depp Breaks His Silence on His Split From Vanessa Paradis

It's been almost exactly one year since Johnny Depp's split from Vanessa Paradis was confirmed in June 2012 following months of speculation that their 14-year relationship was in trouble. Shortly after, Vanessa spoke rather cryptically to Harper's Bazaar, saying, "Nothing is ever for sure, but when something in love doesn't work from the beginning, it's never going to work. Don't push it." Johnny, who has since been linked to Amber Heard, has kept quiet on the breakup until now. He's gearing up for the July release of Lone Ranger and sat down with Rolling Stone to talk about the project but also touched on his personal life.

On the aftermath of his split from Vanessa: "The last couple years have been a bit bumpy. At times, certainly unpleasant, but that's the nature of breakups, I guess, especially when there are kiddies involved."

On relationships: "Relationships are very difficult. Especially in the racket that I'm in because you're constantly away or they're away and so it's hard. It wasn't easy on her. It wasn't easy on me. It wasn't easy on the kids. So, yeah. The trajectory of that relationship — you play it out until it goes, one thing leads to another. So for whatever reason that ­ceases, it doesn't stop the fact that you care for that person, and they're the mother of your kids, and you'll always know each other, and you're always gonna be in each other's lives because of those kids. You might as well make the best of it."

On handling the breakup: "In terms of the breakup, I definitely wasn't going to rely on the drink to ease things or cushion the blow or cushion the situation. 'Cause that could have been fatal. I felt it was my duty to be real clear throughout that. I had something pretty serious to focus on, really, which was making sure that my kids were gonna be cool."

On how his kids dealt with the split: "They've been incredibly understanding, incredibly strong throughout the whole ordeal. And it's hard on every side. You know, Vanessa's side, certainly not easy. My side, not easy. The kids are the most complicated. The thing is, kiddies come first. You can't shield them, because then you'd be lying. So you can at least be honest with your kids, and you say the absolute truth to your child — that was very important to not pussyfoot around."